Portable showcases



Sept. 26, 1961 c. K. TURNER 3,001,650

PORTABLE SHOWCASES Filed June 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l ER (CHARLESKfYMEKTl/P/Y y f/firnmflmmm Sept. 26, 1961 c. K. TURNER PORTABLE SHOWCASES Filed June 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 654K155 KEPWEP HMQNER by J ozzlmin fbainm I A tlorneyJ United States Patent 4 3,001,650 PORTABLE SHOWCASES Charles Keymer Turner, Thurmaston, England, assignor to A. Potterton Limited, Leicester, England Filed June 27, 1958, Ser. No. 745,195 1 Claim. (Cl. 211--34) This invention is for improvements in or relating to portable showcases and is particularly concerned with display containers of suitcase form adapted to contain travellers samples and often referred to as sample cases. Such cases frequently have the body and lid both of sufiicient depth to receive samples mounted in position therein and permitting the case to be closed and then carried about in the manner of a suitcase and at suitable times to be opened to expose samples both in the body and lid for display. :The invention has for an object to provide in a sample case for shoes a simple convenient and effective locating means whereby samples may be detachably retained securely in place.

In accordance with the invention there is provided, in or for a portable showcase for footwear, sample retaining means comprising a cross bar adapted to engage the heelward under part of a sample and a resilient strap or band for detachably holding a sample in place and adapted to embrace the heelward end of the sample and urge the latter downwardly and forwardly into firm engagement with the cross bar. When used with a footwear sample having a depending heel, the strap or band is desirably arranged to urge the forward face of the heel against the cross bar so that the sample is gripped between the strap or band and the cross bar and steadied by its engagement with the latter.

Conveniently the resilient strap or band has its ends secured to the cross bar so that its intermediate portion is arranged to extend around the rear part of the sample and engage the latter towards its upper part while being in tension so that the resilience of the strap or band presses the heel part of the sample both downwardly and forwardly against the cross bar. Thereby the strap or band is caused to retain the shoe firmly in proper position against the cross bar and restrain it against undesired movement while permitting the shoe to be removed readily when required.

In a preferred form of construction the resilient strap or band is arranged to be retained in'place against a shoe by engagement with an edge portion of the upper, for example the top edge of the upper in the region of the back seam. This may be arranged by providing the strap or band with a hook or clip adapted to engage over the upper edge of the back of the shoe thus retaining the strap or band in tension with its central portion bearing forwardly and downwardly against the upper part of the back of the shoe and extending from that position around the rearward parts of the sides of the shoe to anchorages on or near the cross bar.

The invention includes a display tray for footwear samples comprising sample retaining means as aforesaid and particularly a sample case formed by two such trays hinged together.

By Way of example a preferred form of construction incorporating the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sample case in a closed position.

FIGURE 2 is a similar perspective view of the case when opened to display samples therein.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevation partly in crosssection of a portion of the case illustrating the mounting of a shoe.

FIGURE 4 is a greatly enlarged perspective view of a shoe retaining device.

"ice

FIGURE 5 is a broken scale than that of FIGURE 2 showing a hinge mounting of the case, and 7 FIGURE 6 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 3 but illustrating a modification. Referring first to FIGURES l and 2, there is shown a sample case of similar form to a suitcase and comprising a base 10 and lid 11, both of tra-ylike form and connected by hinges 12. The case has a handle 13 and retaining catches 14 similar to those of a suit-case for holding the case and lid together when in the closed posi tion. 1 When closed the case can be carried by the handle 13 in a convenient manner as a suit-case. of the lid and base which engage in the closed position are slanted from back to front downwardly in the attitude viewed in FIGURE 1 so that the lid is shallower near the hinge than at its opposite edge. The lid is fitted with a turn button strut '15 pivoted at 16 so that it can be turned outwardly from the lid to form a leg on which the lid can rest when in the open position shown in FIGURE 2. In this position it will be seen that the bottoms of the lid 11 and base 10 are positioned at different levels in the manner of staggered show-case shelves. The lid 11 is fitted with rigid linings 17 and 18 on three of its walls forming locating flanges around which walls of the base 10 engage for positioning purposes when the case is closed.

In carrying out the invention spaced cross bars 19 are fitted between end walls of the base 10 and lid 11. The bars 19 have their ends mounted on metal brackets 20 which are pivoted to the end walls at 21, see particularly FIGURE 3, the pivots 21 being somewhat below the bars in the attitude shown in FIGURE 2. The bars 19 are fitted at intervals with resilient straps, or bands on each bar 19 in the construction illustrated. 'Each strap or band 22 is fitted with a metal or other clip 23, the latter being so positioned as to leave a small finger loop 24 in the strap or band for manipulation purposes. =Ihe bars 19 together with the straps or bands 22 and clips 23 form simple releasable retaining means whereby articles of footwear may be retained firmly in the lid and base of the sample ca'se'at spaced positions and in such manner that they are prevented from bumping against one another in both the closed and open positions of the case. The cross bar 19 in each case is adapted to engage a forward part of the heel of a shoe S (FIGURE 3) placed across it whilst the appropriate strap or band 22 embraces the heelward end of the shoe or the like when the clip 23 is engaged over the top edge of the shoe upper at the heelward end in the manner shown in FIGURES 3. Thus the resilience of the strap or band 22 presses the heel part of the sample both downwardly and forwardly against the cross bar 19 and may cause the heel and sole of the shoe S to bear against the bottom of the base or lid, Thereby the sample is retained firmly in place against height-wise and lateral movement while being readily removable from the case by the simple act of releasing the strap or band by means of the finger loop 24 which requires only to be grasped and pulled to release the sample.

In the preferred construction the straps or bands 22 are formed of elastic cord with a braid covering such as to avoid damaging a sample and the ends of each loop 22 are passed through apertures in the appropriate cross bar 19 and anchored in a groove 25 in the under face of the cross bar either by being knotted or .by being anchored to the bar. Alternatively all the loops 22 of the same cross bar 19 may be formed from a continuous length of elasticated cord or strip which is passed to and fro through the spaced apertures in the cross bar and anchored in the groove 25 at the end of the bar and at the intervening places where it runs along groove 25.

Specifically the clip 23 may be made from bent wire perspective view on a larger 3 with bent over ends in a tubular pocket 26a presented by a doubled over tab 26 of smooth leather or other suitable non scratch. material; adapted toibearagainstthe. back face of the upper of the sample. The; attachment. of the clip to the strap or band 22 may be secured by a. further bent wire clip 27 engaging in, the pocket 26a of the tab 26 and having looped portions 27a in which the strap or band 22 is gripped to form the finger loop 24. By this construction a simple and, convenient form of retaining means is provided to engage with the, heelward part of the upperof the sample and such retaining means can readily be attached to and released from the sample without damage thereto.

The pivoted mounting of'the cross, bars 19. as illustrated in FiGURE 3 enables them to be adjusted to suit samples having different heel heights. Thus for a lower heelihan that shown in FIGURE 3 the bar 19, is canted baekwardly ,or frontwardly about its pivot 21 to, bring it nearer to the bottom of the. base 10 or lid 11 so that the sample can be retained with its heel pressed yieldably against the cross bar 15 and with the bottom of its heel and sole resting against the bottom. of: the lidor base.

FIGURE illustrates in greater detail the. hinged mounting of the lid and base, there being fixed. to. the base a hinge member 28 presenting ahollow tube in which a hinge pin 29 can slide, the latter being fixed in a tubular portion of a further hinge member 30 mounted on the lid 11. The two hinges are arranged similarly, so that the lid 11 can be detached completely from the, base when the case is open by end-wise movement of the lid to disengage the hinge members 28 at each hinge. Thev lid lland base iii can then be used as separate sample trays for display purposes. When'the hinges have been rte-engaged and the case closed, the projecting parts of the linings 17 and 18 are engaging within the walls of the base 10 preventing relative movement between base and lid in the direction to disengage thehinges.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a modified arrangement suitable V particularly for samples of mens footwear, having rela- 4 of the samples may hear when urged forwardly by the resilient straps or bands 22.

Desirably, the interior surfaces of the base 10 and lid 11 and the bars 19 and other parts liable to engage the surface or" samples'mounted in the case, are covered with fabric or other material such as will not be liable to cause any damage to the samples by abrasion or otherwise.

It will be appreciated't hat the Sample case provided with the improved retaining means permits footwear samples to be detachably mounted in position for display without risk of accidental displacement such as might cause them to be bruised or otherwise damaged. With each sample held in this manner the case may be closed and carried from place to. place Without riskof displacement of the samples in whatever attitude the case may be moved to, and damage to the samples through accidental contact with one another is avoided.

if desired, the sample case may be so constructed that the division between its lid 11 and base lll'along the slant side edges extends from about the position, shown in the drawings at the edges remote from the hinges to a position approximately mid-way of the combined depth of the lid and base at the hinged edges. With this modification, the case when open will have the bottoms of the lid and the base at the same level, the turnbutton strut 15 being then unnecessary and being consequently I omitted. e

retained in position by resilient straps or bands 22 having What I claim is: r

in a portable showcase for footwear, means for retaining footwear samples comprising tray means, a crossbarmounted in said tray means at a distance from the bottom of said tray means, elastic. strap means having each end thereof secured to said crossbar fordetachably holding a sample in place by its intermediate portion extending around the rear part of the sample to embrace the heelward end of the sample so that the latter is urged downwardly and forwardly into firm engagement with said crossbar, saidcrossbar engaging the heelward underpart of the sample and being-pivotably mountedin said tray means, thereby being adaptable to the shape of the footwear sample attached thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Yates Ma '16, 1905 790,669 Winship May 23, 1905 1,106,465 Lo omis Aug 11, 19 14 2,587,971 Crawford Mar. 4, 1952 2,611,463 Trimble et a1 Sept. 23, 1952 2,698,639 Novak Jan. 4, 1955 FORElGN PATENTS 912,292 Germany May 23, 1954 

